At Largo do Machado in Rio’s South Zone, residents and shopkeepers report rising violence, with thefts, robberies, and widespread drug use involving homeless teenagers. Data from the Public Security Institute show that between January and July 2025, street robberies rose 14% and cellphone thefts 62% in the 9th Police District (Catete), with 60 teenagers detained during the period. Businesses have reduced hours and reinforced private security, while churchgoers and locals avoid the area at night. The Segurança Presente program says it has stepped up patrols, with over 2,000 stops this year, but residents say insecurity returns once the teams leave the square.
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04/09/2025 – The Rio de Janeiro Military Police launched Operation Summer earlier than planned, deploying 1,380 officers across the state as of Thursday (04/09). The focus is on the beachfront areas of the capital and coastal cities, as well as highways and expressways leading to tourist destinations. The initiative, which includes patrols on foot, horseback, motorcycles, quad bikes, and canine units, aims to prevent violence, safeguard public transport, and curb vandalism during peak beach hours. Enhanced monitoring technology, including drones, helicopters, facial recognition, and body cameras, will transmit images in real time to command centers. In addition, buses heading to the beaches will be closely monitored and may be intercepted if risks are detected. The operation is a coordinated effort between Military and Civil Police, municipal agencies, and social services, with special reinforcements in tourist-heavy regions such as Niterói, Região dos Lagos, Costa Verde, and the North Fluminense coast.
04/09/2025 – Police arrested a man identified as a member of the Third Pure Command (TCP) and personal security for a local drug leader in Ilha do Governador. He was detained on Thursday evening (04/09) on Rua Sena after attempting to flee during an operation by the 37th Police Precinct. The suspect had been under investigation and appeared in reports carrying rifles and pistols, frequently posting images on social media flaunting firearms and praising the faction. According to authorities, he worked as an armed guard in the communities of Dendê and Guarabu, receiving a weekly payment for the role. A cellphone was seized.
04/09/2025 – In Rio das Pedras, the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, the vice-president of the residents’ association was targeted in two attacks in just over a month. He escaped unharmed in late July when armed men tried to intercept him, but on Thursday (04/09), he was shot in the foot near the association’s headquarters by four attackers, two with rifles and one with a pistol. The case is under investigation by the police. Rio das Pedras, birthplace of the militia, remains under paramilitary control but has increasingly been attacked by Red Command (CV), which already dominates neighboring favelas as well as strategic areas of Jacarepaguá. The escalating clashes underscore CV’s push to expand into traditionally militia-controlled strongholds.
05/09/2025 – Residents of Senador Camará, West Zone, faced disruptions Friday (05/09) after a violent police operation the previous day targeting the Third Pure Command (TCP) members. The action left six suspects dead and a cameraman injured. Although no new clashes were reported, schools remained closed, and several health units were affected. During the raid, traffickers used buses as barricades and damaged train lines, causing nine hours of disruption on the Santa Cruz line. The operation sought suspects linked to the rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman after a funk party. Two leaders — “Coronel” and “Sabão” — remain fugitives. Armed men briefly held a pastor and a child hostage, who were rescued unharmed, and kidnapped a journalist, who was beaten and robbed before being released and hospitalized. Police seized four rifles, and investigations continued.
05/09/2025 – On Friday (05/09), Military Police officers arrested a 23-year-old man accused of homicide on Praia do Recreio, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone, near Posto 12. The suspect, considered highly dangerous and linked to the Third Pure Command (TCP), attempted to escape by swimming for more than an hour and a half after jumping into the sea, even trying to hand a pistol to his accomplice before both were detained. Authorities reported that he had three prior incarcerations, along with eight other criminal records.
06/09/2025 – In Rio de Janeiro, between Saturday (06) and Sunday (07/09), 2025, three Military Police operations within 24 hours left one suspect dead, three injured, six arrested, and four rifles seized. In Penha, North Zone, officers from the 16th BPM clashed with armed men in a vehicle in the Kelson community, resulting in four suspects shot — one fatally — and the seizure of a rifle, pistol, and radio. In Campo Grande, West Zone, the 40th BPM arrested six individuals in “Campo do Chacrinha,” confiscating two rifles, three pistols, over 350 rounds of ammunition, cocaine, and cell phones. Meanwhile, in São João de Meriti, Baixada Fluminense, the 21st BPM seized another rifle, three magazines, and ammunition in the “Trio de Ouro” area.
06/09/2025 – On Saturday night (06/09), a shootout on Avenida Brasil, near Barros Filho, ended with one man arrested and three others escaping. According to the Military Police, BPVE officers ordered a car to stop, but the occupants opened fire on the agents while heading toward the Mata Quatro community. After the exchange of gunfire, the vehicle was intercepted, though most of the suspects fled. Police seized a pistol, ten rounds of ammunition, an extended magazine, a radio transmitter, a cell phone, and the vehicle.
07/09/2025 – On Sunday morning (07/09), a shootout in Praça Seca, West Zone, left two suspects dead and one injured during a joint operation by the 18th BPM (Jacarepaguá) and the 28th Police Precinct to dismantle a gang specialized in home invasions. Worshippers at the Universal Church interrupted their service and hid under chairs as gunfire erupted nearby, with videos showing scenes of panic. According to police, the suspects opened fire when stopped in a car linked to a robbery in Taquara, prompting officers to respond; one suspect fled, while another was taken to a hospital. Authorities seized two pistols, two revolvers, a shotgun, a replica firearm, and two vehicles.
08/09/2025 – On Monday (08/09), Argentine tourist Alejandro Mario Ainsworth was found dead on Estrada da Grota Funda, between Recreio and Guaratiba, in Rio’s Southwest Zone, a day after disappearing. His body showed no signs of violence, and homicide detectives are investigating whether he was a victim of the “Boa Noite, Cinderela” scheme (spiked drink scam). Ainsworth was last seen on 7 September, leaving a hotel in Copacabana; soon after, suspicious transactions were carried out on his accounts, including $3,500 in withdrawals and a $4,000 loan. The case echoes recent operations against criminal groups drugging and robbing tourists in the city.
09/09/2025 – On Tuesday (09/09), Military Police launched operations in the Complexo do Chapadão, North Zone, and Morro Santo Amaro, South Zone. In Chapadão, armed men set fire to barricades and moved around on motorcycles and cars to obstruct 41st BPM patrols, whose mission was to curb vehicle thefts. Meanwhile, the 2nd BPM and the Canine Battalion operated in Santo Amaro. Due to the actions, health units in both areas suspended external services.
09/09/2025 – On Tuesday night (09/09), three shootings in Rio de Janeiro’s West and Southwest zones left at least three dead, including a teenager. Around 22:00 in Guaratiba, three men were shot, one fatally; about an hour later at Recreio Beach near Posto 12, armed men on motorcycles opened fire on youths by a kiosk, killing a 16-year-old and critically wounding another; and in the Terreirão community, also in Recreio, another man was shot dead. Police are investigating the motives and possible links between the cases.
09/09/2025 – On Tuesday (09/09), a woman was arrested in Campo Grande, West Zone, for torturing her daughters, aged 5 and 6, by burning them with a hot spoon. The case was reported by staff at the Eugênia de Almeida Azevedo childcare center after the girls arrived with burn marks. Police from the 40th BPM took the mother and grandmother to the 35th Police Station, while the children were sent for examination.
10/09/2025 – On Wednesday (10/09), a street vendor was arrested on Copacabana Beach after charging a Chilean couple about R$ 400 for a single portion of shrimp. The tourists suspected fraud and alerted agents from the Segurança Presente program, who detained the man with support from the 19th Military Police Battalion. He was taken to the Tourist Support Police Station.
11/09/2025 – On Thursday night (11/09), two Vasco fans were shot during a clash between rival supporters in Oswaldo Cruz, North Rio. One was hit in the head and died, while the other was shot in the foot and hospitalized. Videos showed fans carrying the wounded and seeking shelter in a nearby market. Military Police units reinforced patrols in the area after the incident, which occurred during Vasco’s Copa do Brasil quarterfinal against Botafogo.
11/09/2025 – On Thursday afternoon (11/09), a violent fight broke out between two street vendors at the corner of Rua do Catete and Correa Dutra in the Catete neighborhood, South Zone. One used a knife, while the other retaliated using a glass bottle. Security agents from the Segurança Presente program intervened, finding blood at the scene and recovering the knife. One man, with head and torso injuries, was taken to the hospital. The other was taken to the 9th Police Station in Catete, where the case was registered for investigation.
